mousse

I love me some mousse.
Rich, dark chocolate mousse that dissolves on your tongue?
Nothing better.
And there's something about the texture of mousse, right?
Mmmmm.....

The best part about this?  You can make it in advance and impress the heck outta your dinner guests!

Mousse

Serves 8.

Mousse can be chilled, its surface covered with parchment paper, up to 2 days. Let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes before serving.

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 stick unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
3 large eggs, separated
1 cup very cold heavy or whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon salt

Melt the chocolate and the butter in a medium heat-safe bowl in your microwave, stirring thoroughly at 30 seconds and every 15 seconds thereafter until the mixture is smooth.

In the small bowl, beat yolks with your electric mixer until thick enough to form a ribbon that takes a few seconds to dissolve, about two to four minutes to achieve. Whisk yolks into chocolate mixture then cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, beat the cream with cleaned beaters until it just holds stiff peaks.  Set aside.
In another medium bowl, beat the egg whites and salt with cleaned beaters until they just hold soft peaks.  Set aside.

Fold the whipped cream and beaten whites into the chocolate mixture, gently.

Transfer to 8-4 ounce ramekins and serve immediately!

Enjoy!